Hills Like White Elephants Language and Communication Quotes

Here, Jig seems to have consented to have an abortion, but she can’t help but communicate how much she doesn’t want to go through with it. She can only consider doing it if she stops caring about herself. Just like the man is sure that marriage and a family would be bad for him, she's sure that having an abortion would destroy her. She really doesn’t seem to have made her mind up, even though she says she has.

Seven pleases. This girl means business. Jig can be direct, too. Not that this stops the man. Jig has to threaten to scream before he will stop talking. She realizes that at this juncture, they will both keep repeating themselves and getting mad. This is another instance where Jig acts as a decision maker.

Aside from showing that at the end of the story the two characters are communicating on a low level, this informs the reader that anything can happen at this point. Many readers see Jig’s behavior as an expression of numb consent to have the abortion she doesn’t want to have. On the other hand, she might be refuting the idea of her pregnancy as something "wrong," and giving him the hint that she plans to keep the baby – whether they marry or not.